Healthy Meals Even the Kids Will Love!

For Michael's 14th birthday, he requested California rolls, and the other kids also loved them!

Some kids will eat anything you put in front of them, but they are really few and far between. Most kids are the pickiest eaters on earth, as every mother knows after trying to get them to eat their veggies before asking for dessert. In fact, some kids are so finicky that mealtimes are a raging battle, a fight to the finish over who will triumph.

We hate to admit it, but most often kids are the victors. Other than forcing food down their throats, there’s little we can do to make them eat. Sometimes they are stubborn enough to sit there for extended periods doing nothing more than moving the food back and forth across their plates.

However, if you know where to look, you can find healthy meals even the kids will love.

The Internet Can Be a Vital Resource

Many mothers have sought refuge in online recipe sites like Pocket Change Gourmet where they can find recipes pleasing to kids but also inexpensive to put together. How often have you lamented the fact that you spent extra money thinking to put something ‘attractive’ on the table, only to find that they scoff at that as well? There is no need to go to extra expense if you can find cheap meals that are appealing enough even to the finickiest eaters. From message boards to recipe sites, take time to see what other mothers are having success with and you just might be in luck tonight at dinner!

Hide the Green

What is it about the color green that kids don’t like? If they see green on their plates, they automatically assume it is not going to be good and refuse to even try it. It could be lime Jell-O, pistachio ice cream, or something really yummy and they will reject it out of hand. Some mothers grind vegetables up and hide them in meatballs or other stews and soups which are tomato based because all kids see is red. It’s amazing what you can get them to eat if you can disguise the color green! It would be interesting to do a scientific study on why kids hate green – on their plates that is!

Dark, Colorful Veggies Are High in Antioxidants

While it is true that dark, colorful veggies are highest in healthful antioxidants, no one said those dark leafy veggies needed to be green. You can use all kinds of veggies with very little green in them and kids will usually try them. Chards with red edges on the leaves are one way of getting kids to eat leafy greens and have you thought of red cabbage instead of green? Any dark red, orange, or purple vegetable will be a high source of vitamins and minerals and usually colorful enough to get the kids to try.

The trick is in getting them to try something for the first time. For some reason, kids seem to live by a color code when it comes to eating, so if you keep this in mind, mealtimes won’t be such a battle. Hide the green and see what that does to reduce the stress of getting them to eat their veggies. It’s worth a try, at the very least – what can you lose?